Francis Higbee Case (December 9, 1896June 22, 1962) was an American journalist and politician who served for 25 years as a member of the United States Congress from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. He was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Biography

Case was born in

Everly, Iowa Everly is a city in Clay County, Iowa, United States. The population was 575 in the 2020 census, a decline from 647 in 2000. The Ocheyedan River flows to the south and west of the city. Famous people born here include Vern Fear. History Everly ...

, the son of Mary Ellen (née Grannis) and the Reverend Herbert Llywellen Case. He moved with his parents to

Sturgis, South Dakota Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War. Sturgis is notable ...

at the age of 13. After graduating from the public schools he attended

Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of the ...

and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

graduating in 1920. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and subsequently he served in

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

and the

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...

. Immediately after finishing college he began a 15-year career as a newspaper editor. Until 1922 he was the assistant editor of the Epworth Herald in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. From 1922 to 1925 he was the telegraph writer and editorial writer for the Daily Journal in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

. From 1925 to 1931 he was the editor and publisher of the Hot Springs Star in

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the ...

. Finally from 1931 until he entered Congress he was the editor and publisher of the ''Custer Chronicle'' in

Custer, South Dakota Custer is a city in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,919 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Custer County. History Custer is the oldest town established by European Americans in the Black Hills. Gold ...

U.S. House of Representatives (1937–1951)

Case entered politics in 1934 when he ran for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

but lost. In 1936, however, he was elected to the U.S. House and served in it for seven terms. Before the United States entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was a moderate supporter of

isolationism Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entang ...

. In 1947–8, he served on the

Herter Committee The House Select Committee on Foreign Aid, or Herter Committee, was established to study the proposal that had been launched by General George Marshall in his speech at Harvard on June 5, 1947 for a Marshall Plan, in part as Cold War anticommunism, ...

. Case left the House in 1951 when he became a senator.

U.S. Senate (1951–1962)

Case decided to run for the Senate in the 1950 election, and defeated the incumbent

John Chandler Gurney John Chandler "Chan" Gurney (May 21, 1896March 9, 1985) was an American businessman and politician from South Dakota. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from 1939 to 1951. Early life Gurney was born in Yankton, ...

in the Republican primary. In the general election he easily defeated Democrat John A. Engel receiving 63% of the vote. In his first term in the Senate he served as chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on the District of Columbia The United States Senate Committee on the District of Columbia was one of the first standing committees created in the United States Senate, in 1816. It had jurisdiction over the District of Columbia. It continued to exist until the reorganization o ...

from 1953 to 1955, and was a supporter of greater self-rule in the district. In 1954 he served on a committee to investigate censuring Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

. Case was reelected to the Senate in 1956, in a very close race against Democrat

Kenneth Holum Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a by ...

receiving 50.8% of the vote. Case was known as a moderate Senator whose main goals were to expand America's road and waterway infrastructure, particularly in South Dakota.

Lake Francis Case Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir impounded by Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately and has a ...

, along the Missouri River, is named after him, as is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

on I-395 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Case voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, but did not vote on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Case served in the Senate from 1951 until his death. He died of a heart attack at the Naval Hospital in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, on June 22, 1962. His death occurred several months before the expiration of his second term in the Senate. he was buried at

Black Hills National Cemetery Black Hills National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in South Dakota, located three miles (5 km) southeast of Sturgis in Meade County. It encompasses , and as 2021, had over 30,000 interments. Located at exit 34 of Interstat ...

in Sturgis.

Honors

South Dakota Highway 44 South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) is a state highway in southern South Dakota that runs from U.S. Route 385 (US 385) west of Rapid City to Interstate 29 (I-29) south of Sioux Falls. It is just more than long. Route description SD 44 ...

over the Missouri River in

has been dedicated as the Francis Case Memorial Bridge, crossing the Lake Francis Case

References

Retrieved on 2009-02-16

External links